A three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday, finding that the newspaper had bargained in bad faith and ordering the restoration of health care benefits in effect in 2017 to employees.

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit seeking to enforce an earlier federal labor board ruling against the newspaper, and as a strike against the company has passed the three-year mark.

If the ruling is allowed to stand, the company said in a statement issued Monday evening that the decision “will likely force the closure of the Post-Gazette — ending nearly 240 years of continuous service to the people of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.

“We will appeal to the full Third Circuit Court of Appeals,” the statement said.

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